Brendan Rodgers Reveals Why Demarai Gray Did Not Function for Leicester on Opening Day of the Season

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that Demarai Gray’s omission from the squad to face Wolves on the opening day of the season was not injury associated.

The 23-year-old spent a chunk of his summer time away with Aidy Boothroyd’s England Below-21 squad, but he was unable to support the young 3 Lions progress beyond the group stage of the European Championships.

He has develop into a prominent figure in the Foxes’ side more than the previous couple of Premier League seasons, but was omitted from the matchday squad against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves, leaving several to wonder regardless of whether or not he was injured.

But Leicester boss Rodgers, who took charge at King Energy Stadium earlier this year, has revealed that Gray was left out due to the fact of robust competitors for areas, rather than any knock picked up in pre-season.

​“It really is going to be a quite competitive squad and he was unfortunate due to the fact he has worked nicely more than the course of pre-season,” Rodgers stated, as quoted by ​Leicester Mercury.

“But now there is a challenge which is what we want. We have to have competitors if we are going to enhance as a squad and as a group.

“And it is unfortunate for a player of his top quality that he hasn’t been on the bench, but he will give the ideal reaction. He knows what he wants to function on. I have spoken to him and he will continue to function and to fight for a location.”

Gray has produced 105 ​Premier League appearances for ​Leicester since joining from Birmingham 4 years ago, and has also represented England Below-21s an impressive 26 occasions – notching eight targets in that time.

He will hope to force his way into the Foxes’ plans more than the coming weeks, but will have to oust the likes of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Ayoze Perez and Marc Albrighton amongst other people to earn a normal place in the side.